


When It Comes

by disasterboy



Category: The Faim (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mutants, Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Character Death, M/M, Mutants
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:27:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25837267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disasterboy/pseuds/disasterboy
Relationships: Josh Raven/Stevie Beerkens





	When It Comes

Josh should have seen it coming, but he was stupid and hoped that they would remain hidden for a while longer. They were careful and covered their tracks, and they had all split up to further decrease the chance of being caught. However, Josh knew— _everyone_ knew— that it was only a matter of time before they were discovered and dragged back to the place where most of Josh’s nightmares stemmed from.

It came in the middle of the night, when Linden was keeping watch and Stevie had his arms wrapped around Josh’s waist. It started as a thump, and then it slowly morphed into Linden screaming at them to run. Instantly Josh was awake, throwing off the covers and reaching for the gun he kept under his pillow. He didn’t have to turn around to know that Stevie was doing the same. Josh felt cold and exposed in only his underwear, but he didn’t have time to throw on clothes.

“They found us,” Stevie whispered. The sounds of fighting had long since reached their ears. Linden was still screaming, and Josh could pick out Sam’s grunting from the various noises outside.

“They came for Sammy's group last week. We knew they were coming.”

“Yeah, I know.” With that, Stevie opened their bedroom door and ran towards the front of their current hideout, Josh right on his heels. 

There were only three of them that Josh could see. They were all focused on fighting Sam, who was keeping them at a distance with the use of fire. Josh thought he was hallucinating at first, since Linden was the one with control over fire, but then he realized that Sam had power mimicry. He must have used his power on Linden. Looking past the flames, Josh could see two more soldiers dragging a limp body towards their van, and he knew Linden was either dead or knocked out.

“They got Linden,” he whispered to Stevie. His boyfriend nodded, too focused on keeping quiet and hidden to say anything. The three men fighting Sam had yet to notice them, so he and Stevie kept to the shadows for the time being.

A gunshot rang out, and Josh flinched just as Sam’s fire faltered. The blazing barrier had messed up the aim of whoever had been shooting, but Sam still managed to get hit in the shoulder. It was enough to weaken his defense, and Josh could see the flames getting weaker and weaker.

“Stevie, we have to-”

“Shh. I know.” Stevie sighed, then wrapped an arm around the back of Josh’s neck to pull him down for a quick kiss.

“Go.”

Josh nodded before closing his eyes and letting the familiar feeling of invisibility wash over him. When he opened his eyes, he looked down to make sure that his power had worked, and was pleased when he couldn’t see anything except the floor through his invisible body. Thankfully the gun he was holding had turned invisible too.

Josh turned to make sure Stevie was still hidden before moving to stand behind Sam. At this point, the flames erupting from Sam’s hand were barely able to keep the soldiers away. Josh tapped Sam on the shoulder to let him know that he was there, and Sam visibly relaxed.

“Took you long enough, mate.”

“Relax, we were behind you the entire time,” Josh whispered back. He raised his gun and managed to shoot the first soldier square in the forehead. The other two, upon seeing their comrade fall, began to panic, looking around for a potential sniper. Josh turned his gun towards the second one, and he went down similar to the first. The third soldier, however, had focused on something else behind Sam, and with dread settling into his veins Josh turned around to see Stevie standing like a deer in the headlights.

Josh wasn’t fast enough. Before he could raise his gun again the soldier had fired off three rounds, and Stevie cried out in pain as the bullets entered his chest. Josh made quick work disposing of the third soldier, firing two extra shots just to make sure he stayed down. He went visible again and handed his gun to Sam. Sam touched his shoulder, and in a split second, Sam went invisible. Josh could hear his footsteps as he ran towards the van, but Josh didn’t stop to watch what happened next.

Stevie was still alive when Josh reached him. He was coughing up blood, but Josh kissed him anyway. Carefully, Josh pulled Stevie into his arms, cradling his boyfriend as he coughed again.

“You have to go,” Stevie said. His voice was weak and barely rose above a whisper.

“I’m not leaving you.”

Thankfully Stevie didn’t argue. Instead, he only sighed and let himself be smothered by Josh’s arms. Josh could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, the sobs building up in his chest. He took a second to just sit there and breathe in Stevie’s familiar scent for what would more than likely be the last time.

Eventually, Sam came back. He was empty-handed, which meant that they had managed to get away with Linden. 

“Oh, man…” Sam whispered once his eyes fell onto Stevie and Josh. He stood still for a moment before rushing off in the opposite direction, probably to get their first-aid kit. 

He wasn’t going to make it in time, and both Josh and Stevie knew that.

“Say hi to Linden for me, yeah?”

"I'll be sure to give him a good punch for you, too."

Josh managed to laugh through his tears. He closed his eyes, but Stevie's hand gently shook him until he opened them again.

"No, don't close your eyes. Can... I want you to look at me. I want you to be the last thing I see."

"God, when did you get so cheesy?" Josh laughed again, and Stevie managed a weak smile. They stayed like that, staring at each other and reveling in the other's presence, until it finally came for Stevie. Josh saw the exact moment that the light left his boyfriend's eyes, felt his body stiffen and lose some of the warmth he had held nearly every night for the past five years.

Josh head footsteps approaching behind him eventually; Sam had returned, first-aid kit in hand. A hand fell on his shoulder, whether to comfort him or to get his attention (or possibly both), but Sam didn't speak for a few seconds afterwards.

"We need to go, Josh." Sam's voice was soft and didn't have the usual demanding tone in it, but Josh knew it wasn't a request.

"We need to bury him first. I don't want them to find him and use his body for more testing."

Thankfully Sam didn't argue, and soon they had placed Stevie's body as deep in the ground as possible. Josh helped dress Sam's bullet wound, but since Linden had been the one with the most knowledge of medicine and healing he probably didn't do a very stellar job. They spent the next fifteen minutes packing up all of their belongings, including Stevie and Linden's, before packing it all into their car and speeding off down the road opposite of the direction the van had taken. Josh watched as their house slowly disappeared over the horizon.

"We need to call the others when we get to a payphone," Sam said after a few hours in silence. "They need to know what happened so they can go into hiding. You still have their numbers?"

Josh nodded. He pulled out the notebook he always kept in his jacket pocket and thumbed through the pages until he found a list of contacts. ' _Bonnie, Jayden, Jon, Ollie, Ben, Patty, Cody, Awsten..._ '

"I've got 'em."

"Cool. We'll call Bonnie first; let her know that we'll be staying with them from now on."

The rest of the drive was spent in relative silence, until Sam dug out an old CD and popped it in the radio. When they reached Bonnie's gang several hours later, Josh constructed a headstone for Stevie and Linden each. Potter helped set them up in the loose Australia sand, and then let Josh cry into his shoulder afterwards.

It had come for his friend and his lover, but Josh wished it had come for him instead.


End file.
